Beloved Poets of Our Time

There's more to poetry than just lyrical writing and verse—it takes exploration, imagination, and most times, a life's worth of experiences. This list isn't meant to be definite or exhaustive; there's an endless list of literary legends worth mentioning. But here are the top 20 most beloved and greatest poets—from Maya Angelou to John Keats—whose names are universally known.

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1. Maya Angelou

Born in 1928 in Missouri, Angelou had an expansive career, taking up work as a cook, streetcar conductor, singer, dancer, actress, composer, and civil rights activist—all before she became one of the most acclaimed poets in American history. She has no shortage of famous poems, but most would agree "Still I Rise" is her greatest masterpiece.

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2. Robert Frost

Frost was born in San Francisco, California, and best known for his realistic portrayals of rural life in New England. One of the most decorated American poets in the 20th century, he won the Pulitzer Prize (award for outstanding journalism) for poetry four times. "Stopping by Woods on a Snowy Evening," written in 1922, is among his most notable poems.

Walter Albertin, World Telegram staff photographer on Wikimedia

3. E.E. Cummings

Born Edward Estlin (E.E.) Cummings in Cambridge, Massachusetts, he began writing poems as early as 10 years old, in 1904. Upon graduating with a BA (bachelor of arts) and MA (master of arts) from Harvard, he left to volunteer as an ambulance driver in France during World War I the same year his earliest poems were published in Eight Harvard Poets, in 1917.

New York World-Telegram and the Sun staff photographer: Albertin, Walter, photographer. on Wikimedia

4. Pablo Neruda

A Chilean poet, diplomat, and politician, Neruda is one of the most recognized—and important—writers in Latin American history. He was a precocious boy, and despite disapproval from his father who didn't care for his writing (which led to him adopting a pseudonym), Neruda continued crafting poems from age 10 and onwards.

Annemarie Heinrich on Wikimedia

5. Emily Dickinson

Born in Amherst, Massachusetts, Dickinson—along with Walt Whitman, known best for his poetry collection, Leaves of Grass—is considered one of America's greatest poets of all time. Despite writing nearly 1,800 works, only a handful of her poems have ever been published, including, "A Bird came down the Walk."

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6. Shel Silverstein

Silverstein was born and raised in Chicago, Illinois, and had several works published in Playboy and military magazine Stars & Stripes, before creating books for children. A renowned cartoonist, poet, songwriter, and playwright, some of Silverstein's most famous publications include The Giving Tree (1964) and Where the Sidewalk Ends (1974). 

Jerry Yulsman on Wikimedia

7. Edgar Allen Poe

An American short-story writer, poet, and literary critic, Poe is a leading major figure in world literature, most notably known for his dark, imaginative tales, like "The Murders in the Rue Morgue" (1841) and "The Raven" (1845), which bordered macabre. He is also regarded as the pioneer of the detective genre.

published by Dodd, Mead and Co, NY, 2002 on Wikimedia

8. Oscar Wilde

Born in Dublin, Ireland, Wilde met literary acclaim with his comic playwright skills, creating masterpieces like The Importance of Being Earnest (1895) and Lady Windermere's Fan (1892). Despite having only one published novel, The Picture of Dorian Gray (1891), his fame endures.

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9. Homer

Though widely regarded as the greatest Ancient Greek poet, little is known about Homer or if he even existed. Nonetheless, he's the presumed author of the Iliad and the Odyssey, epic poems that are considered foundational works of Greek literature.

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10. Sappho

If Homer was known as "the Poet" of Ancient Greece, then Sappho was known as "the Poetess." Just like Homer, not much can be found or confirmed about Sappho's life, but as a lyric poet, she has been praised and respected for the beauty of her works and prose.

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11. Adrienne Rich

Born in Baltimore, Maryland, Rich was a poet, scholar, critic, and feminist. Some of her greatest works include A Change of World (1951)—for which she received the Yale Series of Younger Poets prize—and The Diamond Cutters (1955). Beyond writing, she was persistently active in civil rights and women's movements.

Ovaryian on Wikimedia

12. Mary Oliver

Oliver was born in Cleveland, Ohio, whose poetry is known for its accessible, plain language and imagery, and its focus on the quiet beauty of nature. Having grown up in a troubled family, she often retreated to the woods where she'd make huts out of sticks and grass, then sit down and write.

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13. Lord Byron

An English poet and satirist, George Gordon Byron, or Lord Byron, was a notable figure in Romanticism. Raised mostly by his mother, Byron spent the majority of his youth isolated—and secretive, after discovering his attraction for both women and men. Some of his renowned works include Childe Harold’s Pilgrimage (1812–18) and Don Juan (1819–24).

Richard Westall on Wikimedia

14. Sylvia Plath

Born in Boston, Massachusetts, Plath was a literary prodigy, having published her first poem at age eight. She entered various writing contests, most of which she won, and went to Smith College on a scholarship. Despite her remarkable achievements and success, Plath led a fraught life. After one last bout of creativity, she took her own life in 1963—at just 30 years old.

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15. Li Bai

Known as one of the greatest poets of the Tang Dynasty and in Chinese history—often rivaling Du Fu, another renowned Chinese poet, whom he was friends with—Li Bai wrote works inspired by scenes from his own life. He once served a prince, though was arrested when the prince was accused of leading a revolt against the kingdom. 

Liang Kai on Wikimedia

16. Rumi

Though Rumi was born in Balkh (now Afghanistan), he is one of the best-selling poets in America. "Masnavi," a didactic epic which translates to "Spiritual Couplets," is his most notable poem, and his works often included the use of Persian, Arabic, Turkish, and Greek.

Hossein Behzad on Wikimedia

17. Federico Garcia Lorca

Born in Fuente Vaqueros, Spain, Lorca was an acclaimed poet, playwright, and director. He grew up in rural Andalusia, studying at the University of Granada, before relocating to Madrid in 1919. It was there he met Salvador Dali, a surrealist painter, who helped design the scenery for one of Lorca's plays.

Unknown author on Wikimedia

18. T.S. Eliot

Thomas Stearns (T.S.) Eliot was born in St. Louis, Missouri and is regarded as one of America's most highly distinguished poets, playwrights, literary critics, and editors. A leader in Modernist poetry, some notable works of his include The Waste Land (1922) and Four Quartets (1943).

Lady Ottoline Morrell on Wikimedia

19. John Keats

Though Keats only lived to 25 years of age, he had a brilliant career—perhaps even more so than any other English poet. His works focused on vivid imagery and he wrote a range of styles, from sonnets to Milton epics. Despite being known as a literary great, he had briefly studied medicine and trained to be a surgeon at Guy's Hospital Medical School.

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20. Rudyard Kipling

Kipling was born in Bombay (modern-day Mumbai), India, a gifted short-story writer, poet, and novelist who received a Nobel Prize for Literature in 1907. While many may remember him for his works, The Jungle Book (1894) and "If—" (1910), his political views were considered toxic and controversial, which led to his notoriety.

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